Japanese patent laid open (kokai) publication No. 11-348855 discloses a method of recycling discarded automobiles by transporting each automobile with a loop-type carrier suspended from a hanger, removing components from the automobile while the automobile is transported among different work stations at low speed, sorting the components into those that can be recycled and those that cannot be recycled, storing them in corresponding bins, and pressing and shredding those that cannot be recycled.
However, considerations for recycling are mostly absent in the presently adopted vehicle structures. For instance, components are often made by inseparably combining different materials such as metallic material and plastic material. Therefore, when disposing an automobile, the weight of the waste material that cannot be recycled and is required to be disposed of by landfill or the like typically amounts to about 25% of that of the automobile itself.
The method proposed in the aforementioned Japanese patent publication is no more than an introduction of a flow process into the work of disassembling discarded automobiles in place of pure manual work, and failed to meet the social need to more efficiently utilize resources and reduce waste material.